Chapter 19: Reinforcements and Rescue

In response, Yan Bei first glanced at Yun Shou, seemingly reluctant to waste words explaining at this moment. Instead, he laughed heartily, saying, "If you don't believe it, then let me send you to meet her!"

Yun Shou, receiving this news, was instantly stunned. After all, Yan Bei's strength was only at the first level of innate mastery, yet he had managed to kill someone of the same realm. It seemed his strength should not be underestimated.

With this thought, he couldn't help but feel invigorated, adding a bit of confidence.

Having said that, Yan Bei swung his fists and joined the battle.

His fist technique remained unmatched in ferocity; each punch carried a rushing wind, like Mount Tai crashing down.

It seemed that his earlier battle with Old Lady Wen hadn't drained too much of his energy.

As the wind from his fists approached, it caused Hei Lin's sword light to momentarily stagnate.

Seeing this, Yun Shou again drew upon his remaining internal energy, exerting all his strength to cooperate.

The three of them became embroiled in a chaotic battle, creating a scene more thrilling than before.

Hei Lin's sword was as elusive as a spirit serpent, while Yan Bei's fists were as powerful as a flood dragon, and Yun Shou's palms were as majestic as the black turtle.

In just a few exchanges, Hei Lin felt the pressure intensify. Seeing that Old Lady Wen had yet to make an appearance, she couldn't help but think that Yan Bei's words were likely true.

She felt a twinge of anxiety: "With these two teaming up, I might find it hard to cope."

Noticing that Hei Lin was slightly unsettled, Yun Shou seized the moment to unleash a powerful palm strike aimed directly at her face.

Hei Lin quickly raised her sword to block, but was struck in the abdomen by Yan Bei's heavy fist, which had found its mark.

She stumbled back a few steps, her complexion turning pale in an instant.

Before Hei Lin could regain her footing, the two attacked her once more in unison.

"Tonight, we must slay this vile thief!"

Yun Shou's palms flew, the shadows of his hands multiplying, as if transforming into countless giant palms, dazzling the eye.

Yan Bei's fists fell like a torrential downpour, each strike landing hard, not giving Hei Lin a moment's respite.

In an instant, Hei Lin found herself in a desperate situation, her sword style thrown into disarray, and for the first time, she bore wounds on her body.

She understood that accomplishing her goals tonight was difficult, and having lost the support of a master like Old Lady Wen, she sighed deeply in her heart:

"Enough! If this goes on, I might also meet my end!"

Then, forcing herself to endure her injuries, Hei Lin summoned all her internal energy.

She unleashed a continuous stream of sword light like a storm, weaving a tight web that forced Yun Shou and Yan Bei to change their tactics to defend themselves.

Seizing the opportunity, Hei Lin turned and leaped out of the courtyard, then pulled out a signal flare to fire off, disregarding everything else, and vanished into the vast darkness.

...

Meanwhile, a stick of incense earlier, the thirteen individuals dressed in Heishi night attire outside the ancient forest observed as the smoke and rain clouds of the wind and water formation gradually began to dissipate.

The leader, with a hoarse voice, said, "It's about time. Let's split into three teams to enter."

A tall, thin figure with a somewhat bright voice asked, "Aren't we waiting for An Yin and An Zhi?"

It turned out that these Heishi assassins had rushed to the back courtyard after finding no one in the front yard. Now, aside from the absent An Yin and An Zhi, the rest of the Heishi assassins had arrived.

As for the two missing individuals, they were undoubtedly Guanzhi Daolong and the assassin he had killed.

"They still haven't shown up? They're either dead or have other intentions. Moreover, seeing that there's no one in the front yard and the back yard has started to shroud in mist, I suspect An Zhi may have ulterior motives."

Upon hearing this, the others around nodded in agreement, clearly supportive of the leader's assertion.

Although they hadn't seen An Yin's corpse, years of experience had led them to harbor suspicions about the unusual circumstances.

Then, the group fell silent, quickly dividing into three small teams of five, four, and four, respectively, and began to move toward three different directions of the ancient forest.

Among them, four stealthily approached a location where a clash had occurred. The trees were in disarray, deep knife marks carved into them, and the air was thick with the scent of blood.

The cold wind howled, whipping past and sending scattered broken branches and fallen leaves swirling, adding a touch of desolation to the already tragic scene.

A Heishi long knife lay abandoned on the ground. Glancing to the left, they found a fellow assassin dressed in the same night attire lying there, lifeless. One person stepped forward to investigate and confirmed that he had already lost his breath.

The leader's gaze sharpened as he scanned the battlefield.

Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a corner where a Xuanzhen Temple master was still barely alive—it was Guān Xū.

At this moment, Guān Xū was gravely injured, his face as pale as paper, with fresh blood at the corner of his mouth. His breath was weak, and he lay unconscious.

"Humph, there's still a fish that slipped through the net; just in time for us to pick up a bargain," the leader of the black-clad men said, a glimmer of greed flashing in his eyes.

The three men beside him drew their gleaming blades in unison, seemingly waiting for a command to extinguish Guān Xū's last breath.

"Wait, I remember this person is from the Xuanzhen Temple. The last time we interrogated the remaining members of that merchant convoy, we didn't get satisfactory information for our master. Capturing him alive this time is a great opportunity; we might even gain our master's favor," the leader thought for a moment and quickly intervened. "Let's take him and withdraw first."

"This... are we not going to provide support?" One of the black-clad men appeared worried.

"With this big catch, are we still afraid of lacking accomplishments?"

The leader expressed confidence, then personally applied pressure points on Guān Xū, carrying him like a sack over his shoulder. The other three men followed suit, turning back along their original path.

At this critical moment, Bai Yichen, who was initially far away and was about to pass by, sensed with his keen perception and array jade that there was a Xuanzhen Temple master in this area.

He hurried over and caught sight of the barely alive person being carried on someone's back—it was Guān Xū.

Bai Yichen was greatly alarmed. He also noted that there were four Heishi assassins present and quickly assessed their strengths in comparison with his own knowledge of the Heishi techniques.

He hesitated no longer and quickened his pace towards them.

His figure darted like lightning, and in an instant, he leaped onto the battlefield, blocking the four Heishi assassins.

At this moment, the night wind grew stronger, causing Bai Yichen's clothes to rustle in the breeze. His resolute face appeared even more cold and stern against the wind, with determination evident in his gaze.

The four members of the Heishi organization were startled by this sudden change, but they quickly regained their composure, brandishing their weapons and charging at Bai Yichen.

The leader swung a long knife violently, and the blade whistled through the air, directly threatening Bai Yichen's face.

Bai Yichen sidestepped, agile as a cicada, his hair flying in the wind. He frowned slightly, focusing intently on the assassins' moves.

Next, the second assassin thrust a sword at him, the blade fierce and aimed directly at Bai Yichen's heart.

Bai Yichen's footwork transformed into a bagua pattern, evading the lethal strike like a flying cicada.

At that moment, the third assassin wielded a long whip, the whip cutting through the air, attacking Bai Yichen from the side.

Bai Yichen's heart skipped a beat; he instantly drew upon his energy, and internal strength surged within him, giving his body a dark golden hue.

At this critical moment, Bai Yichen suddenly felt a surge of heat rising within him—it was...